Most recently manufactured vehicles have on-board diagnostic systems to collect data about the operation of various vehicular components. A typical vehicle diagnostic system may collect feedback from various sensors around the vehicle and also capture error codes output by components in need of repair. To give vehicle owners and service technicians access to this data, these vehicles typically have a standardized diagnostic port from which the data may be accessed. Diagnostic tools are available that connect to a vehicle's diagnostic port and download vehicle data for analysis. Traditionally, these diagnostic tools are used only by a repair technician when an owner brings in a vehicle for repair. In such a scenario, a technician may connect a diagnostic tool to the vehicle's diagnostic port, download the error codes, and make the necessary repairs. Recently, electronic devices have become available that are meant to remain connected to a vehicle's diagnostic port while the vehicle is operational, so as to collect real-time data about the vehicle. These devices either have their own power source or utilize the vehicle's own battery power by drawing it through the diagnostic port. In the case of the latter, if the device is left on the diagnostic port while the vehicle is off, the device will typically detrimentally drain the vehicle's battery, as vehicles typically provide battery power through the diagnostic port regardless of whether the vehicle is on or off. Further, after data collection, these real-time diagnostic devices typically must be physically connected to a computing device before the data can be analyzed or aggregated by a user. Devices that reduce power consumption and improve data analysis and aggregation are needed.
Many solutions to reduce power consumption of these diagnostic devices are known in the prior art. One such solution involves equipping the diagnostic device with a “watchdog” type system that periodically queries a vehicle's diagnostic port at adaptive intervals to determine if the vehicle is running. For example, the diagnostic device may enter into a low-power sleep state when the vehicle is turned off and periodically wake up and query the diagnostic port to determine if the vehicle is running, and if it is, remain awake. This solution, however, is not ideal, as the diagnostic device must unnecessarily wake up a great number of times, and thus draw an unnecessary amount of power from the vehicle's battery.